Fatal Shadows
by TheHopelessAnimist
Summary: Two years after the events of Ocarina of Time, Dark Link returns to put his enemies on the other end of the rope... Link and Sheik have fallen. A new era of darkness is beginning to dawn upon Hyrule as dark Link, now taking up the name Umbra looses his po


Disclaimer: I'm sure you see these in everything, but I'm purring one in here anyway. Link, The Legend of Zelda and all characters, terms, locations and so forth are copyright Nintendo and Miyamoto.

Warnings: Character deaths in this chapter, if you are a huge fan of Link and Sheik and will not tolerate their deaths, please turn back now. Yaoi (lemon), rape, violence, language.

The air was chill and moist like autumn humidity as the rain so surely approached. Green and grey complied and conspired against so sure a sapphire optic as brush rose to sky. His hat was caught by the wind, flying like an emerald banner behind him, pulling up on blonde locks with such threat of coming off that he reached back, pulled it off in a spray of golden hair, and haphazardly stuffed it into his tunic. His other arm arked at his side as he struck Epona's hindquarters with his blade, urging her to move faster. Something in the woods was very wrong. Link leaned back on the firm saddle as Epona mounted a steep incline, rich, moist soil spraying from where iron-shod hooves dug into terra. Up into brown hollow wherein muscular arm made and arc with steel, cutting away at choking brush to pass. Thunder purred through the sky in warning of rain. He struck Epona again in tandem with a sudden crack of thunder, and leaned foreward in a blind haste, bringing his blade up in a silver bow, only to send it arking madly in every direction, a striking steel serpent. Epona raced on, the sound of her hooves making contact upon terra with such celere matching Link's pounding heart...

Sheik's optics were a strangely humble crimson, reflecting pools of blood regarding the dark counterpart of Link. Dark Link's eyes were gazing pools of oxblood, unwavering and crossed only by the obsidian arc of his blade, the point of the arrow a diamond in his iris and his ears delighting in the crack of wood as his sword halved the arrow. Sheik's golden brows furrowed as he cocked another arrow, his dainty yet masculine fingers caressing the willow shaft of the arrow to the red feather at the end, and he raised the crossbow again, finding his optics trained on Dark Link again. It was strange to him, fighting Dark Link, because in that evil shell, he still saw the beauty of the Hero Of Time. But Sheik could not be so easily tempted to vice, he knew that this monster was not his beautiful hero. Sheik's cerulean shod feet slid in the moist grass, and with a pivot, making a tattoo in the dirt, he launched himself to the other side of the rapid. For the first time, the rushing water of the falls seemed loud in his ears, and the height of the cliff behind him seemed dizzying. He pivoted again, looking out over the sacred meadow home to the forest temple, catching his breath. He turned, tossing golden locks away from his crimson eyes, and fired another arrow at Dark Link. The oxblood orbs found the diamond again as he turned, and he ducked, the arrow catching his hat and releasing a fan of ebon hair as it found terra. Sheik's pulse beat fast in his ears, rythmically; a danse d'sang that lulled him in the face of evil, twining through body, mind and soul like the aurora borealis. Dark Link stared into Sheik's eyes, the rain beginning to glisten down all around them like tainted diamonds. A slow, mad smile crept up Dark Link's face, reminiscent of the gruesome, smile-like grimaces so often seen in the shadow temple. Silver shimmered down between Sheik's elegant fingers as Dark Link cast his gaze aside. Sheik was aware of his pulse stopping, before realising that what he had been so lulled by was not at all his pulse. Crimson eyes lingered on the dark reflection of the hero of time, as the beautiful, evil thing dripped a deep, black heme to the grass. Dark Link had been struck in the left shoulder with a familiar arrow.

A magnificient palomino mare halted before the sheikah man, the beautiful hero flinging himself from the mount and drawing steel with the practice of years. Link's hair, now loose, cascaded down to his shoulders, a golden fall of silk, his sapphire optics locked upon his own corrupt reflection, who yet still grinned like a madman. With neither word or gesture, Link leapt the rapids, lunging forth, his sword a steel viper poised to sting corruption with purity. Dark Link brandished his obsidian blade carelessly, the steel singing through the air to meet his counterpart's. It was this moment that Sheik chose to release the silver razors poised between his digits towards Dark Link, who snarled in a voice reminiscent of the hero's; spinning away for another backwards strike, but felled by the steel thrusted between his knees as the hero lunged again. Dark Link rolled, opening his mouth to curse, only to have the breath stolen from him by a booted foot upon his chest. Sapphire met oxblood, thunder purred, and steel touched pale flesh.

Link had never looked for pride nor glory in winning a battle, but standing over his own reflection, on the very edge of a kill imbued him with a feeling of empowerment. He was aware of Sheik's anxious stare as he savoured this moment. Link's blade wavered softly across skin that looked to be his own. "Goddesses, I've never killed another human being before..." The hylian uttered huskily, watching his counterpart give a slow smile. Muscles flexed, and a searing pain shot through Link's stomach, snaking up through his nerves like venom snakes through veins, blood poured forth from the gap the obsidian blade had made in his gut. The hero dropped his sword, hands going numb as the blade was dragged to the left, then pushed up. Link withdrew, staggering back, brought to his knees by a triumphant darkness. The blade was now brutally dragged to the left, ripping organs, muscle, flesh. Crimson eyes shed tears helplessly at the other side of the rapids as dainty hands grasped a spear mounted over Sheik's back, the nerves in his hand seeming to burn with shock, fear, and... Hatered. Adrenalin burst through his whole body, making his very heart feel black with anger. The spear was drawn from it's place over his back, and every muscle in his body was used to heave it towards the monster, the beautiful, ugly monster who had nearly sliced Link in half.

The momentum of the blade as Dark Link's powerful muscles pulled obsidian through the living body of Link, hero of time emboldened the dark reflection, even as the spear made it's way through flesh beneath his collarbone. Calloused hand released the blade, and it flew in an obsidian arc to efficiently plant itself in the sheikah's chest. Blood ran down the symbol of the weeping eye of truth. How fitting it was that the sheikah symbol was the eye of the dead. Crimson eyes unfocused as the cerulean clad frame toppled helplessly off the edge of the falls. Dark Link's oxblood eyes wandered, his vision unfocusing. The horse had long since fled. Dark Link toppled backwards onto muddy, grassy terra, letting the rain soak him; swept away in an ocean of triumph. To his left lay the hero of time, the man who had succeeded in destroying Ganondorf when Dark Link could not, freeing him. Dark Link realised what this meant.

The sheikah lay shattered 'pon rocks below

The hero of time was felled

Blood swept up in the river's flow

Hyrule, at the gateway to Hell.


End file.
